


One Last Look

by iam93percentstardust



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Leaving Home, Second War with Voldemort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-11-07 18:10:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11064393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iam93percentstardust/pseuds/iam93percentstardust
Summary: On the day that Petunia Dursley has to leave Number 4, Privet Drive, she reflects on all the important moments that the house had seen over the years.





	One Last Look

The first time Petunia Dursley saw Number 4, Privet Drive was on her wedding day. Vernon had been teasing her for weeks, hinting at a fabulous wedding present. There were a lot of things Petunia had been expecting; a house wasn’t one of them.

But the moment she had seen the house with its hedges and brick front, she had fallen in love. There was a front door with a knocker and a mail slot. A greenhouse stood attached to the house. There was a small cupboard under the stairs for boxes and coats. It was all so normal. Petunia loved it.

Those first few years were bliss. It was just her and Vernon and their adorable house. Petunia slipped into the role of housewife easily. After all, it was a normal occupation for a woman to have.

* * *

 

The day she took Dudley home from the hospital was the first time the house changed forever. For the first time, the gurgling of a child filled the home. Dudley was not a happy baby, his gurgling more like crying, but it hardly mattered to Petunia.

Here, at last, was her dream complete- a husband, a son, and a house to keep them warm.

She adjusted to the new role of mother almost as easily as housewife. She had to get used to baby-proofing the house but she found that it wasn’t too difficult a task. It wasn’t long before the living room was covered in photos of little Dudley Dursley, the pride and joy of Petunia’s life.

Now, she thought, she could be truly happy.

* * *

 

Petunia would never forget the morning of November 2, 1981. She woke early to put the milk bottles out only to find Harry Potter on her front step. She had screamed at the sight and cried at the news. Vernon had fought against it but Harry had become an official part of the household.

Number Four, Privet Drive had irrevocably changed. The cupboard under the stairs was no longer for coats but for Harry’s bedroom instead. There was a sense of tension and fear anytime something strange.

Petunia missed the happy days when she and Vernon had first moved in.

* * *

 

From that time, there was a general sense of relief every time Harry left for Hogwarts in the fall. Petunia knew of the dangerous things that Harry was learning there. Yet, she was much more reassured when he was out of the house than when he was in it.

Whenever Harry was gone, the house almost felt like it had when she and Vernon had first moved in. With Harry at Hogwarts and Dudley at Smeltings, Petunia had the time to be the blushing housewife that she had been all those years ago.

* * *

 

Then everything changed when Dudley came home, supported by Harry, that fateful summer night. For the first time, Number 4, Privet Drive truly felt the effects of the wizarding world. They could deny Harry’s magic but they could no longer deny the reality of Lord Voldemort.

Petunia could remember back to when Lily had discussed Voldemort with her friends, before they’d realized Petunia was listening. She could remember the fear in Lily’s voice, the quaver at his name. Most of all, she could remember reading about him in the letter that had arrived with Harry.

And as Harry announced in the stillness of the kitchen that Lord Voldemort was back, she knew that her beloved home would never be the same again. 

* * *

 

She reflected on that moment as she stood looking at Harry for what might be the last time. Part of her wanted to rail at him for bringing this on her family. Part of her wanted to apologize for how he’d been treated all those years. All of her wanted to at least say something.

But she kept her mouth shut, took a last look at Lily’s eyes, and walked out the door. She paused on the front stoop to take one last look at Number Four, Privet Drive. Unlike Vernon, she had known and accepted that they would have to leave their home when Harry turned seventeen just as she knew now that she would never see it again.

Petunia could see the witch and wizard waving at her from the backseat of her car, urging her to hurry. Slowly, she settled herself into the front seat next to Vernon. As her husband drove off, she turned to stare at Number Four, Privet Drive until it disappeared form sight. Fighting back tears, she whispered, “Goodbye house.”


End file.
